Question:

At my last eye exam, my vision was 20/600. Could you please explain what this means? Also, what does one`s vision have to be to be considered legally blind?

Answer:

Technically, this means the vertical dimension of the letter you can correctly identify at a testing distance of 20 feet will subtend a 5 minute angle at 600 feet. But let`s get real…..

20/600 vision means you need to be twenty feet away from a standard letter size to recognize it; but the same sized letter could be seen at a distance of 600 feet by a patient with normal vision.

The definition of legal blindness is explained in a response to a previous question (see link below), which was posted on 4/22/98.

Related Resources:

What it means to be legally blind.

For more information:

Go to the Eye and Vision Care health topic.